Running | Hiking | Biking | Paddling Triathlon | Health | Fitness | Travel FREE! AUGUST 20,000 CIRCULATION CAPITAL REGION • SARATOGA • GLENS FALLS • ADIRONDACKS bra 2010 ele ti C n g ASF COACH MIKE McCLURE OF GORE’S DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKE CAMP SPOTS JUSTIN CARON OF CLIFTON PARK WHILE HE PRACTICES JUMPING A LOG. CAMP RIDERS ON RUBY RUN. PHOTO BY DARRYL CARON PHOTO BY GORE STAFF Visit Us on the Web! AdkSports.com CONTENTS ARTICLES & FEATURES 1 Mountain Biking Riding at the Ski Areas 3 Hiking & Backpacking Mountain Biking Panther Gorge: A Great Loop Hike 11 Running & Walking at the Ski Areas How to Avoid the Top Five 13 Triathlon & Swimming Ten Commandments of Open Water 15 Bicycling Many Miles of DH and XC Terrain Credit Card Touring by Darryl Caron 22 Kayaking & Canoeing fter a long absence, lift-serviced mountain biking for ages ten and above, and my son Justin and I enjoyed a History & Adventure at Kane Falls is back at Gore Mountain! The summer season day in July with a group of similarly aged kids and adults 23 Kayaking & Canoeing Aoffers downhill and cross-country riding on their from around the region. Even though I am an experienced challenging trails on Saturdays and Sundays from July 17 cyclist, the agility and bike handling drills were a chal- Coxsackie North on the Hudson River through October 10. The trails descend 1,700 feet vertical lenging and fun way to sharpen my skills. Justin picked up CALENDAR OF EVENTS slope and are serviced by the Northwoods Gondola (you skills for riding on loose terrain, steep descents, and some 4-9 August - October 2010 fold up one seat and place your bike inside). technical roots and rocks – made more challenging by More Than 300 Things to Do! Mountain bike tickets offer unlimited use of the gon- the previous day’s rain. Coaches Gail and Mike created a dola from 10am-4pm. Gore staff members are making trail supportive, friendly environment for all abilities and con- COLUMNS building improvements to their mountain biking experi- fidence levels, as they shared their tips and expertise. 12 Athlete Profile ence, both on the ski trails and on the sometimes technical Each Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 3, Gore offers Peggy Phillips “You are an Ironman!” singletrack trails that wind their way down and across the a half-hour lesson at 10:30am for beginner and novice 14 From the Publisher & Editor mountain through islands of trees. Helmets are required riders wanting some pointers on riding. They have the and so is completion of a risk agreement. Bike rentals are agility logs and elements set-up to work with people. 14 Around the Region News Briefs not available at Gore, but The Gear Source in North Creek They’ll do this right in the base area, and then riders RACE RESULTS offers full-suspension bikes with disc brakes. would be on their own to ride the upper mountain. Visit: 16-21 June - July 2010 If you are learning how to ride or would like to get bet- goremountain.com. Top Finishers in 25 Events ter, try one of their Downhill Mountain Biking Clinics. The Whiteface Mountain Bike Park, operated by next one is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 4. The camps are “Downhill” Mike Scheur of High Peaks Cyclery, has 27 See MOUNTAIN BIKING, 22 ▶ • Olympic Sports • Running • Snowboarding • Snowshoeing • Sports Medicine • Telemark Skiing • Walking • Wilderness Skills • Walking FREE SAVE THE ADMISSION! DATE! WINTER EXPO November 20-21 • Saturday 10-6, Sunday 10-5 Saratoga Springs City Center, Saratoga Springs The Capital Region’s Winter Sports, Health/Fitness and Travel Expo! Featuring 100 Exhibitors, Sales, Demos, Clinics, Kids Activities & More AdkSports.com • (518) 877-8788 • • Nutrition Travel Alpine • Non-Profits Skiing • Backcountry Skiing • Clubs • Cross-Country Skiing • Environment • Events • Health • Fitness • Ice Climbing • Ice Skating • Kids’ Activities • 2 Adirondack Sports & Fitness FOOTWEAR • APPAREL • ACCESSORIES The Capital Region’s Only Locally Owned and Operated Specialty Running and Walking Store THE BEST NAMES IN BICYCLES EXPERIENCE Cervelo • Orbea • Scott Cannondale • Kona • Felt Saucony WHAT’S Trek • Santa Cruz NEW! Spike Weekend In-Stock – and Ready to Ride! Saturday, August 28, 10am - 6pm Road – Triathlon – Mountain Sunday, August 29, 12pm - 4pm Hybrid – Comfort – Kids 10% off all Saucony Spikes THIS WEEKEND ONLY! 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Cummings Advertising Art, INC. 4 Yorkshire Terrace Ⅲ Clifton Park, NY Ⅲ 518.406.5027 www.cummingsadvertisingart.com New from ADK and Lost Pond Press AUGUST 26TH–29TH » UCI World Cup Finals (4X/DH/XC) » Race the World (DH/XC) » Festival Events for Everyone Indoor/Outdoor Expo, Kid’s Race, Big Wheel Race, Concert & Parties » FREE Spectator Admission Adirondack Birding Parking: $10/day, $25/3 days The first comprehensive guide to bird- ing hot spots in the Adirondack Park—more than 60 sites. By John Register for UCI, Pro, Cat 1,2,3 & 1st Timer Races! M.C. Peterson and Gary N. Lee, with color photographs by Jeff Nadler, $20.95, 240 pages. RACEWINDHAM.COM JOIN ADK AND RECEIVE A 20% DISCOUNT ON ALL ADK PUBLICATIONS 800-395-8080 LOST POND PRESS www.adk.org www.AdkSports.com AUGUST 2010 3 // HIKING & BACKPACKING // The trail heads up though a pocket of old blowdown into a tall forest with an ◀ HIKERS ON MOUNT MARCY. open understory. The trail then climbs ▼ VIEW OF MOUNT MARCY FROM LITTLE moderately to an intersection at 6.6 miles, HAYSTACK. 1.4 miles from the Pinnacle Ridge Trail PHOTOS BY BILL INGERSOLL intersection. It takes about 50 minutes for this segment, longer if the trail is not clear. the interest of keeping hikers on the cor- Signs at the intersection point east to Panther Gorge a private trail to Marcy Landing and left to by Bill Ingersoll rect route, it is well marked and signed. Several branching trails, with destinations Panther Gorge. In about 100 yards the trail such as Lightning Hill and the west shore finally crosses the state land boundary at of the lake, are closed to the public. elevation 2,530 feet. At 2.7 miles you reach a junction The trail is now a wonderful foot trail, where the public trail turns left, west, off perhaps the least eroded and least trav- of Pinaud Road. Whereas you can hike to eled of all the approaches to Mount Marcy. this point in little more than an hour, your Most of the significant mud patches are pace slows as the terrain becomes more spanned by stringers, and the few erod- rugged. Brush closes in on both sides, ed spots have been stabilized by rocks. and after skirting wide around an open Glimpses of Skylight and Marcy are few wetland the trail climbs at a moderate and fleeting. You rock-hop across a tribu- grade into the hills. This is part of the con- tary stream at 8.3 miles, and then at 8.9 he very name Panther Gorge con- tinuous ridge that stretches from Mount miles you reach the camping areas, locat- jures all sorts of romantic notions Colvin to the north to Boreas Mountain to ed at 3,200 feet and about 1,200 feet above of wilderness – and indeed it is one the south. Fortunately the ridge is at one Marcy Swamp. The lean-to is to the right ofT the wildest places in the High Peaks. of its lowest points here, so the climbing and a large tent site is to the left. This is Panther Gorge is the deep valley dividing is not severe. But the next 2.5 miles after one place where the lean-to site may offer Mount Marcy, the state’s highest peak, leaving Pinaud Road are characterized by more privacy than the tent site, since it from Mount Haystack, the third highest. hilly terrain through remote woods as you is smaller and screened better from the cross from the Schroon River watershed Within the gorge lies a secluded lean-to, trail. The tent site is essentially a commu- to the Ausable. and from it spring two of the steepest nal camping area, where multiple parties This section ends with a long, some- trails in the High Peaks. at five miles you reach the public park- claim a spot of level ground from the hand- times steep descent that follows an inter- Panther Gorge is the starting point ing area for the two state hiking trails ful of selections. There are no other estab- mittent stream downhill. You make a for one of the best loop hikes in the that originate on this private park. Note lished campsites in the vicinity. Note that sharp left in the vicinity of an old logging Adirondacks. But while many of the High that this lot fills early on peak weekends, the regulations for the Eastern High Peaks settlement, and then turn right through Peaks can be reached by day hikes, for and there are no nearby alternatives. The are in effect – campfires are not permitted, a broad ferny meadow.